As a child I was often in trouble for not paying attention, but I was paying attention, just not to my parents, teachers, or peers. Using my imagination to fly out the window and view the world from high above or from the ground below became an invaluable tool for gaining perspective and empathy. This sense of wonder and a long-standing drawing practice, fueled my decision to leave a career as a certified nurse midwife to become a painter. My studio practice comes from two disparate ideas based on my life experience as an empathetic observer of human behavior, and as a curious onlooker. Removed from physical interaction and observing singular human experience from afar, this juxtaposition between inclusive empathy and isolated onlooker inspires me.